Polyarylene sulfides are high-performance polymers that may withstand high thermal, chemical, and mechanical stresses and are beneficially utilized in a wide variety of applications. Polyarylene sulfides are generally formed via polymerization of a dihaloaromatic monomer with an alkali metal sulfide or an alkali metal hydrosulfide in an organic amide solvent. Following formation, the polyarylene sulfide is washed to separate the polymer from the solvent, unreacted monomers, and other impurities. Many conventional washing solutions rely on the use of acetyl compounds (i.e., acetone) to quickly remove the reaction solvent and a substantial portion of partially polymerized oligomers from the polyarylene sulfide. Unfortunately, polyarylene sulfides that are washed with such acetyl solutions tend to contain residual amounts of malodorous compounds, which are generally undesirable. Furthermore, many alternative organic solvents are problematic in that they tend to solubilize the oligomers to such a large extent that the melt viscosity of the polymer substantially increases. As such, a need currently exists for an improved washing technique that does not have a significant adverse impact on the melt viscosity of the resulting polyarylene sulfide.